March Madness Meets the Meow-velous Cat Show

March 3, 2026

A lighthearted story comparing NCAA basketball tournament to cat show judging

Krista Schmitt

Once upon a time in the magical month of March, the town of Hoopville was abuzz with excitement. Two of the year’s biggest events landed right on the same weekend: The NCAA Basketball Tournament and the Meowville Siamese Cat Show. Naturally, the town was divided in its fandom. Half the residents were glued to the court, while the other half were obsessed with 2’ x 5’ platform. But little did they know, the drama on these two stages was more similar than they might’ve thought.

The Bracket Breakdown Beginnings

In the world of NCAA basketball, fans spent hours (or days) laboring over their brackets, picking their teams, and predicting the Cinderella stories. Meanwhile, over at the cat show, breeders and spectators watched the registered feline entrants like they were the star players in a highly competitive league.

This was a special show: a breed summit for the Siamese. Many of these competitors have been traveling the country seeking out elusive national or regional points, or the most coveted of them all: 200 points earned while a champion to attain their Grand Champion title. Until this weekend, #3 has been leading the charts as Best in Show across the US. Will her reign continue? Or has a new contender entered “le chat”?

Opening Rounds: Enter the Chaos

Once the events began the real similarities shone through. At the NCAA tournament, upsets quickly became the talk of the town. A tiny, unknown school like “Western Prairie Tech” somehow knocked out a national powerhouse in overtime. Fans were eating stale nachos and losing their minds yelling at the screen: HOW DID THEY LOSE TO A SCHOOL THAT HAS A CROSSFIT GYM FOR A MASCOT?!

Meanwhile, across town, drama unfolded in the Siamese in Championship class. Just prior to judging, one of the Siamese had to answer “the call of nature” and had a delay in getting to the judging ring.  “That’s cat pageantry for you,” one spectator whispered solemnly, shaking their head.

Sweet 16 and the Slinky 12

By the Sweet 16 in the NCAA, things started getting tense. Teams fought harder, players clutched their heads in agony after fouls, and coaches yelled so much their faces turned beet red.

At the cat show’s equivalent Slinky 12, things weren’t much calmer. Owners were glaring daggers at the competition, sleeking that Siamese coat one last time before the judges came around. The four teams – the chocolates, the seals, the lilacs, and the blues – fought it out among themselves to see which of them would face the winners of the other teams.

The seal point team winner was a given, as #4 was the only seal on the seal point’s team.
The three chocolate point females had to square off against each other, as there was no male team for their winner to compete against. It was close, but the winner of the chocolate point team was #3, a two-year-old grand champion!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The blue point team consisted of two males and two females, all champions in the hunt for points towards their grand champion title. The lovely 2 year old champion female was awarded best of the females, but was ultimately defeated by #7, a 9 month old male.
Over on the blue point team, the girls fought hard among themselves with #10 (a lovely champion) taking the female’s spot over the female grand champion #11! But she was no match for the blue point male contender, a three-year-old grand champion, and he won that battle.

At both events, arguments broke out among the spectators over what really mattered. For basketball, it was whether teams should prioritize defense or offense. At the cat show, people debated whether chocolate or lilac reigned supreme. What IS lilac? (if you are curious, Siamese cats come in four colors: chocolate and seal, and their dilute variants lilac and blue)

The Final Four: Roars vs. Purrs

Then came the climax: the Final Four of March Madness and the Championship Final of the Siamese Cat Show. On the basketball court, the atmosphere was electric. Star players were doing highlight-reel dunks, cameras zoomed in on their intense faces, and fans roared so loudly that the arena walls shook. Coaches gave impassioned speeches, comparing the basketball court to a “battlefield” where warriors leave it all on the floor.

At the cat show, the final four felines – chocolate point GC #3, seal point GC #4, lilac point CH #7, and blue point GC #12 – pranced solemnly onto the platform, their paws light as a feather. Judges wielded magnifying glasses to assess every angle. Owners whispered pep talks to their cats: “You’re a winner, Snickerdoodle! Act like it!” Snickerdoodle yawned in response and casually flicked her tail, her confidence unshakable.

The Championship Match

The basketball championship was pure pandemonium. Players dove for every ball, referees blew whistles like their lives depended on it, and TV commentators exclaimed in disbelief over back-to-back 3-pointers. One team ultimately triumphed in a nail-biting buzzer beater. Fans erupted into cheers, tearing their hair out in a mix of joy and disbelief, while sports analysts declared it the “greatest championship game of all time.”

Meanwhile, the cat show climaxed in equally dramatic fashion. The judges deliberated over their decision for what felt like an eternity, leaving the crowd leaning forward in suspense. At long last, the lovely two-year-old chocolate point female was declared Best in Show. Her owner burst into tears as a tiny crown was placed on her cat’s head. The feline Grand Champion, however, seemed more concerned with licking her paw than basking in the glory.

While all the finalists were happy to bank some overall points toward a regional or national win, a little nine-month-old lilac point male bested six other champions to walk away with best champion in show and move closer to his Grand Champion title! The other champions (who had not taken a class win in the chocolate and blue point teams but were still in contention for a champion win) were visibly disappointed and swore that the next ring would be different!

View the entire class as a bracket here

Post-Match Reflections

The parallels between the two events did not go unnoticed in Hoopville. Both the basketball players and the cats had faced long odds, stiff competition, and near-death stares from their competitors. Both demanded precision, skill, and charisma to win. And in the end, despite their differences, whether you were cheering for a team of humans or a sassy ball of fluff, triumph felt the same – utterly exhilarating.

Hoopville unanimously agreed to rename the big weekend “Meow Madness” in honor of the two greatest tournaments on earth. Because really, both athletes and cats know that at the end of the day, it’s all about putting on a show.